The traditional
Festivals in Niger are colorful ones, which welcome the participation from all strata of the society. A big number of the
Festivals in Niger is held in the months of April, September, October and November. The religious Festivals in Niger are also organized in a true spirit. With the 80% of the population of Niger being of the Islam religion, the Muslim festivals like Mouloud, Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha, Islamic New Year are widely celebrated in Niger in the true spirit like in the other nations. The Christians form the next big numbers in the population of Niger after the Muslims. Henceforth, the Easter Monday, Christmas are celebrated profoundly by the Christians in Niger.
The traditional Festivals in Niger have a mark of their own. The biggest of these festivals is Guerewol or the Bororos' festival. This festival continues for seven days in the month of September at the end of the rainy season. This festival is the mark of the two groups of descendants of Wodaabe. In this colorful festival, the most handsome men are selected by the three loveliest ladies. The dances form the attractive part of the festival. Few of the dance forms include:
- Guerewol (the festival takes its name from this dance form)
- Ruume (a dance in the circular format where the dancers sing and clap in a rhythm)
- Yaake (the facial expressions of the dancers are a delight to watch)
The dancer knows himself the best one when an old woman knocks her head against his chest.
The other traditional festivals in Niger include:
- Cure Salee - A festival of cattle breeders held in September.
- Hotungo - This is the annual celebration of the nomads held in October.
- Wassankara - This is a political comedy festival held in April.
- Hawan Kaho - Bullfight is the main attraction in this festival organized in November.
